de villepigue



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

A. E. D. F. DE VILLEPIGUE. APRRRATUS ROR RROORDINOr TRR DIRROTION ANDORRDIRNTS OP A ROAD.

NO. 382,868'. Patented May l5, 1888.

N. PETERS. Photo-Ulhngmphm, Washnglun, D. C4

(No Model.) I 2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

A. E. D. I'. DE VILLRPIGU'R.

APPARATUS FOR RECORDING THE DIRECTION AND GRADIENTS OI' A ROAD. No.382,868. Patented May I5, 1888.

i LN E f I F @L mr T m'neeiw i U0 @ge/galn;

K'PErEns. PhemLimqmpnr, washington. D.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTE EDOUARD DENIS FLORAN DE VILLEPIGUE, OF PARIS, FRANCE. I

APPARATUS FOR RECORDING THE DIRECTION AND GRADIENTS OF A ROAD.

SPECIFICATXON forming part of Letters Patent. No. 382,868, dated May 15,1888.

' Application filed February 26, 1887. Serial NoA 228,947. (No model.)

To all' whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTE EDOUARD ADanis FLORAN nn VILLEPTGUE, atpresent residing at 7l Rue Legendre, Paris, in the Republic of France,engineer, have invented new and useful Apparatus for Recording andDelineating the Direction and Gradients of a Road, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

` This invention relates vto an apparatus for automatically ascertainingand'graphicallv delineating to a known scale the direction/and gradientsof a road.

The apparatus consists of a vehicle whose wheels actuate mechanismwhereby two graphie deliiieations are obtained upon any desired scale,one representing the direction and length of the different portions ofthe road and the other the section or prole of the ground, An electricbell or other audible signal indicates-say at the completion of everymile-that the paper upon which the delineations are made is filled upand that fresh sheets inust be supplied to the apparatus.

Inl order that the invention vmay be more readily understood, I willproceed to describe it with reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure l represents an elevation of the ap paratus, and Fig. 2 apartly-sectional plan with the platform removed. Fig. 3 shows themechanism for ascertaining the gradients.

The same letters of reference represent the same parts in all thefigures.

The'carriage is supported upon three wheels, of which the hind pair, RR', are keyed the one R upon the axle E and the other, R, on asleeveloose upon said axle and carrying a pinion, G, which gears with an equalpinion, G', on a shaft, E', mounted parallel to axle E in suitablebearings on the framing G. The axle E and shaft E each carry a worin,the two worms gearing with the opposite sides of a worm-pinion, l,turning loose on a vertical stud fixed on a bar, J, supported bycrossheads and ears which slide upon the axle and shalt E E. Upon thesame stud turns a double-toothed sector, K, the one sector beingcycloidal in form and gearing with a pinion, P', and the other with afixed rack, U. A circular table, S, is fixed upon the axis of pinion P,and is supported by friction -rollers n n' upon a circular rail carriedbythe framing C. A horizontal shaft, O, is mounted above the table S, soas to intersect a prolongation of its vertical axis. At its forward endit gears by a miterlpinion, X, with a similar pinion,X, turning upon thevertical axis of the fork A of the guiding-wheel R2. The pinion X is inone with" a worm-wheel, H, gearing with a worm, y, on a cross-shaftdriven from the axis of the guiding-wheel ItIl by a pitch-chain runningon chain-wheels .H H', having any de- L sired relative ratio to oneanother. The shaft O has a leading screw-thread upon it, which lnay beengaged, when desired, with a nut in a slide-block, T, moving alongguides 0, and carrying a pencil holder or leg in position to mark asheet of paper fixed on the table S. The shaft O also eariies a wormwhich gears with a worm-wheel at the base of avertical drum, V, whichcarries the paper upon which the section or profile of the ground is tobe delineated.

The operation of the above described mechanism is as follows: Thecontact-points ofthe three wheels with the ground are at the angles ofan isosceles triangle, the contact-point ofthe leading wheehRi, beingalways situated at the apex. lf the vehicle be drawn in a straight line,the three wheels will revolve in parallel planes and to the saineextent, they being all ofthe same diameter. By the equal revolution ofthe wheels R R the axle E and shaft E are caused to rotate in oppositedirections and to revolve the worm-wheel I without shifting the positionof its center, and without, therefore, causing any rotary motion of thetable S. rlhe revolution of the front wheel, R2, at same time rotatesthe shaft() through the gearing described, thereby cans' ing thepencil-holdei to advance and trace a radial right line from the centerofthe table S. If, however, the vehicle be directed to left or right,the leading wheel, R2,being in the middle plane, will run over the truedistance, while the one hind wheel will turn slower and the otherfaster. rlhe difference of motion of the two hind wheels causes adifference of motion of the two shafts E E', in consequence whereof theworm-wheel l will be caused to roll along one of the worms as along arack, thereby moving its stud toward the one side or the other of thevehicle, carrying with it IOO the double segment K. The double segment,rolling along rack U and gearing with pinion I), rotates the latter, andconsequently the table S. Supposing the vehicle to be directed towardthe right, the worm-wheel I will be moved over toward thc left and thetable S 1e volved to the right through an angular distance equal to theangular deviation of the vehicle. As the pencil moves in a right line toit will trace an arc ot' a circle corresponding to the said angle, andthen continue its radial movement if the vehicle follows a straightline.

`The leveling mechanism is as follows: On x5 the left of the hollowcylinder V a metal cas ing, i, (separately represented in section inFig. 3,) is bolted to the framing C. The interior ofthe casing is boredtruly cylindrical, and is closed by a cover boltedt-hereon. Upon 2o anaxis fixed at the center of the casing rotates a drum, t, of thinsheet-iron, a segment of which is inclosed to form a {luid-tightchamber, m. The casing t' is provided with a vera tical gnidetube ofrectangular section, in which is fitted to slide a rod, fr, carryingapencil, s, atits upper end. The rod r is tangential to the casing andis connected to the drum by two flexible steel bands encircling oppositesides of the drum 't and attached thereto at n 3o a and to the rod r ato and p, respectively. These bands convert without slip the alternaterotary motion of the drum into alternate rectilinear motion of the rod7' and the pencil s. The casing i having been hermetically closed andfilled with mercury, the compartment in. of the drain acts as a iloat,whose center of gravity is always in a vertical line passing through thecenter of the cylinder whatever may be the inclination of the casing/Lor framing C, and the casing z may therefore be said to gravitate aroundthe drum. By this relative movement of the casing and drum motion willbe transmitted to the pencil-carrier r. By the revolution ofthepapercarry- 3,5 ing drum V at a speed having a known ratio to thedistance traveled the pencil carried by the rod r will graphicallyrecord upon the paper the distance traveled, the record being on a scalecorresponding to the said ratio, and by 5o the vertical movement of rod1' the value of the gradients ot' the road will also be recorded. Thusan exact record or delineation may be obtained of the length anddirection of the read, as well as of its variation of level relativelyto the startingpoint of the vehicle.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim isl. In an apparatus for delineating or recording thedirection of a road, the combination, with a rotating table, S, of adouble sector, K,

the axis thereof, a fixed rack gearing with the sector, the pinion I,the slide J, carrying said pinion and sector, and the shafts E E',rotated independently by the two hind wheels of the vehicle and gearingwith pinion I, all arranged so that the pinion I and sector K shallreceive a movement of translation when the shafts E E revolve atdifferent speeds, sub stantially as herein described.

2. In an apparatus for delineating or recording the direction of a road,the combination of a rotating table, S, pinion I), sector K, gearingwith said pinion, rack U, gearing with the sector, and means, asdescribed, for moving the sector, the pencil-carrier T, the scrcwshaftO, for moving said carrier, the leading wheel R2, and gearing X X Il 11/ II IAI, and a chain connecting II H for moving the screwshaft O fromthe wheel R2, substantially as specified.

3. In an apparatus for recording or delineat ing the gradients ol' aroad, the combination, with a drum, V, receiving continuous rotarymotion from the traveling wheel, as described, of a casing, i, mercuryin the casing, a drum, within the casing and immersed in the 1nercury, apencilcarrier, r, and bands conuecting the carrier r with the drum t,thc pencilcarrier receiving vertical motion in consc qucnec of therelative motion of the mercury and drum and of the casing containing thesame, substantially as specified.

4. In an apparatus for recording or delineat ing the direction andgradients of a road, the tables S, the double sector K, gearing therewith, the fixed rack U, slide J, carrying the double sector, the pinionI, and independent worms operated by different wheels gearing withpinion I, in colnbination with thepencilcarrier T, the worm -shal't O,operating the same, and means for operating said shaft from the wheelIt?, substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus for recording or delineating the direction andgradients of a road, the combination of the table S and means asdescribed, for operating the same, the pencilcarrier T,screwshaft O, foroperating thc same, drum V, casing t', containing mercury, drum t in themercury, and pencil-carrier r, connected with the drum t, all arrangedand operating substantially as described, and for the purposes setforth.

The foregoing specification of my apparatus for recording anddelincating the direction and gradients of a road signed by me this 1stday of February, 1887.

AUGUSTE EDOUARD DENIS FLORAN lill YIlil'iEllGUll. Witnesses:

Alor/r. hi. I-Ioorna,

'Vice UoasnlGwzcraZ, Ilaria Ammer MOREAU,

IIO

